This invention relates to apparatus for holding elongated members straight and placing sheaths thereon. The apparatus of the invention is particularly suited for the placing of sheaths on hypodermic needles but is not limited to such use in principle.
Apparatus such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,210 performs various operations on syringe sub-assemblies comprising a syringe vial or barrel and a hypodermic needle connected to one end thereof, such as washing the interior of the vial and applying a sheath to the needle. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,210, the sheath is received in a tubular member positioned on top of a pair of jaw levers and the placing of the sheath on the needle includes lowering the jaw levers over the needle. The orifice formed in the pair of closed jaw levers through which the needle passes into the sheath as the jaw levers are lowered is rather small and, consequently, the needle will sometimes engage the wall of the orifice which can dull and even form burrs on the pointed end of the needle. Moreover, should a particular needle be bent significantly out of vertical, the sheath placing in that case becomes entirely inoperative.
It is an object of the present invention to provide appratus which avoids these disadvantages of the prior art.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description thereof.